Lysinibacter cavernae gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Microbacteriaceae isolated from a karst cave

Subterranean marvels: microbial communities in caves and underground mines and their promise for natural product discovery

Covering: 2014 to 2024Since the dawn of human history, caves have played an intimate role in our existence. From our earliest ancestors seeking shelter from the elements to more recent generations harnessing cave substances for medicinal purposes, caves have served as essential resources and havens. The last 40 years of geomicrobiology research has replaced the outdated perception of subterranean environments as lifeless and unchanging with the realization that vibrant microbial communities have adapted to thrive in extreme conditions over millions of years. The ability of subterranean microbial communities to withstand nutrient deprivation and darkness creates a unique reservoir of untapped biosynthetic potential. These communities offer exciting prospects for medicine (e.g., antimicrobial and antitumor therapies) and biotechnology (e.g., redox chemical properties and biomineralization). This article highlights the significance of caves and mines as reservoirs of microbial diversity, the potential impact of their bioactive compounds on the fields of healthcare and biotechnology, and the significant challenges that must be overcome to access and harness the biotechnological potential of subterranean microbial communities. Additionally, it emphasizes the conservation efforts needed to protect these delicate ecosystems, ensuring the preservation of both ancient traditions and tomorrow's medicines.

Composition and functional profiles of microbial communities in two geochemically and mineralogically different caves

Microbial communities in cave ecosystems have specific survival strategies, which is far from being well explicated. Here, we reported the genetic and functional diversity of bacteria and archaea in typical limestone (Kashmir Cave) and silicate-containing (Tiser Cave) caves. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) analyses revealed the different geochemical and mineral compositions of the two caves. Amplicon barcode sequencing revealed the dominancy of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria in Kashmir and Tiser Caves. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in Tiser Cave, and the abundance is relatively small in Kashmir Cave. Archaea was also abundant prokaryotes in Kashmir Cave, but it only accounted for 0.723% of the total prokaryote sequences in Tiser Cave. Functional analysis based on metagenomic sequencing data revealed that a large number of functional potential genes involved in nutrient metabolism and biosynthesis of bioactive compounds in Tiser and Kashmir Cave samples could significantly influence the biogeochemical cycle and secondary metabolite production in cave habitats. In addition, the two caves were also found to be rich in biosynthetic genes, encoding bioactive compounds, such as monobactam and prodigiosin, indicating that these caves could be potential habitats for the isolation of antibiotics. This study provides a comprehensive insight into the diversity of bacteria and archaea in cave ecosystems and helps to better understand the special survival strategies of microorganisms in cave ecosystems.Key points• Geochemically distinct caves possess unique microbial community structure.• Cavernicoles could be important candidates for antibiotic production.• Cavernicoles are important for biogeochemical cycling.

Lacisediminihabitans profunda gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Microbacteriaceae isolated from freshwater sediment

A novel Gram-stain-positive bacterial strain, CHu50b-6-2^T, was isolated from a 67-cm-long sediment core collected from the Daechung Reservoir at a water depth of 17 m, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. The cells of strain CHu50b-6-2^T were aerobic non-motile and formed yellow colonies on R2A agar. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that the strain formed a separate lineage within the family Microbacteriaceae, exhibiting 98.0%, 97.7% and 97.6% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to Glaciihabitans tibetensis KCTC 29148^T, Frigoribacterium faeni KACC 20509^T and Lysinibacter cavernae DSM 27960^T, respectively. The phylogenetic trees revealed that strain CHu50b-6-2^T did not show a clear affiliation to any genus within the family Microbacteriaceae. The chemotaxonomic results showed B1α type peptidoglacan containg 2, 4-diaminobutyric acid (DAB) as the diagnostic diamino acid, MK-10 as the predominant respiratory menaquinone, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and an unidentified glycolipid as the major polar lipids, anteiso-C_15:0, iso-C_16:0, and anteiso-C_17:0 as the major fatty acids, and a DNA G + C content of 67.3 mol%. The combined genotypic and phenotypic data showed that strain CHu50b-6-2^T could be distinguished from all genera within the family Microbacteriaceae and represents a novel genus, Lacisediminihabitans gen. nov., with the name Lacisediminihabitans profunda sp. nov., in the family Microbacteriaceae. The type strain is CHu50b-6-2^T (= KCTC 49081^T = JCM 32673^T).

Cave Actinobacteria as Producers of Bioactive Metabolites

Recently, there is an urgent need for new drugs due to the emergence of drug resistant pathogenic microorganisms and new infectious diseases. Members of phylum Actinobacteria are promising source of bioactive compounds notably antibiotics. The search for such new compounds has shifted to extreme or underexplored environments to increase the possibility of discovery. Cave ecosystems have attracted interest of the research community because of their unique characteristics and the microbiome residing inside including actinobacteria. At the time of writing, 47 species in 30 genera of actinobacteria were reported from cave and cave related habitats. Novel and promising bioactive compounds have been isolated and characterized. This mini-review focuses on the diversity of cultivable actinobacteria in cave and cave-related environments, and their bioactive metabolites from 1999 to 2018.

Planctomonas deserti gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Microbacteriaceae isolated from soil of the Taklamakan desert

A Gram-staining-positive, aerobic, irregular coccoid- to ovoid-shaped, non-spore-forming and motile bacterium, designated strain 13S1-3^T, was isolated from a soil sample from the rhizosphere of Tamarix collected in the Taklamakan desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, PR China. The strain was examined by a polyphasic approach to clarify its taxonomic position. Strain 13S1-3^T grew optimally at 28-30 °C, pH 7.0 and with 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was of the B2γ type and contained d-alanine, d-glutamic acid, glycine, d-2,4-diaminobutyric acid and l-2,4-diaminobutyric acid. Ribose, xylose, glucose and galactose were detected as cell-wall sugars. The acyl type of the muramic acid was acetyl. The predominant menaquinones were MK-12, MK-11, MK-13 and MK-10. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified glycolipids and one unidentified phospholipid. The major whole-cell fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 70.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that 13S1-3^T represented a member of the family Microbacteriaceae and showed the highest level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Frondihabitans australicus E1HC-02^T (97.11 %). Phylogenetic trees revealed that 13S1-3^T formed a distinct lineage with respect to closely related genera within the family Microbacteriaceae. On the basis of the results of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, 13S1-3^T is distinguishable from phylogenetically related genera in the family Microbacteriaceae, and represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Planctomonas deserti gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 13S1-3^T (=KCTC 49115^T=CGMCC 1.16554^T).

Arenivirga flava gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Microbacteriaceae isolated from a mangrove tidal flat

A novel Gram-stain-positive actinobacterium, designated HIs16-32T, was isolated from a sand sample collected from a mangrove tidal flat in Japan and its taxonomic position was investigated by a polyphasic approach. The cells of strain HIs16-32T were Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, non-motile and non-endospore-forming. Strain HIs16-32T contained glutamic acid, glycine and lysine in the peptidoglycan; however, alanine was absent. Galactose and mannose were detected as cell-wall sugars. The isoprenoid quinones were identified as MK-11, MK-12 and MK-10, and the major fatty acids as anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content was determined to be 72.2 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison revealed that strain HIs16-32T was related to members of the family Microbacteriaceae but did not form a reliable cluster with any known members of the family. The highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values were obtained with species of the genera Herbiconiux(96.1-96.8 %), Plantibacter(96.5-96.7 %) and Schumannella (96.7 %). However, strain HIs16-32T was distinguishable from the phylogenetically related genera in terms of chemotaxonomic characteristics and phylogenetic relationship. Therefore, strain HIs16-32T is concluded to represent a novel genus and species of the family Microbacteriaceae, for which the name Arenivirga flava gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of A. flava is HIs16-32T (=NBRC 112289T=TBRC 7038T).